Iowa State Takes on Drake Wednesday

AMES, Iowa - The Iowa State softball team will make the short trip to Des Moines Wednesday when the Cyclones take on the Drake Bulldogs at 5 p.m. at Buel Field.

Live stats will be provided by godrakebulldogs.com here. Iowa State Assistant Director for Athletics Communications Patrick Tarbox will host a live blog during the games that can be accessed here.

Cyclone Headlines

Iowa State takes on another in-state rival in the mid-week Wednesday when the Cyclones make the short drive South to take on the Drake Bulldogs at 5 p.m. at Buel Field.

ISU picked up its first Big 12 win of the season last weekend against Oklahoma State. Iowa State won the first game of the series, 2-0, before falling to the Cowgirls 11-0 and 7-6 in the final two games.

Sarah Hawryluk led the Iowa State offense in Stillwater, going 7-of-11 at the plate for a batting average of .636. In six career games against OSU, Hawryluk batted .619, going 13-of-21 from the dish.

Iowa State’s first Big 12 win of the season came by way of a 2-0 shutout victory over the Cowgirls. It was the fifth shutout of the season for Iowa State and the first against a Big 12 opponent since a 3-0 win over Kansas in 2009.

Brittany Gomez continues to be one of the most prolific lead-off hitters in the country, ranking fourth in the Big 12 and 45th in the NCAA with her .425 batting average. Last weekend, Gomez became the seventh player in program history to record multiple 50-hit seasons.

During Iowa State’s doubleheader against Northern Illinois, Gomez became Iowa State’s all-time leader in career stolen bases. The sophomore, now with 50 steals to her name in her career, beat the record of 48 previously held by Adi Blackmon (2000-03). Gomez’s 19 steals in 2014 puts her 37th in the NCAA.

Lexi Slater came into 2014 with a career batting average of .248 in her first two seasons as a Cyclone. This year, the junior has become one of Iowa State’s biggest batting threats, hitting .356 with a .625 slugging percentage. She ranks second in the Big 12 with 10 doubles in 2014. Her six home runs this season, is the most in a single season in Slater’s career.

Sara Davison has been one of the most disciplined hitters in the country in 2014. Iowa State’s career walks leader with 76 to her name, 13 coming in 2014, ranks 20th in the NCAA among batters that are most difficult to strikeout. The senior has only struck out three times in 103 at bats in 2014.